In a first for the Republican Party, a Sikh-American woman opened the second day of its national convention here with the ardas, a Sikh prayer. Harmeet Dhillon, vice-chairwoman of the California Republican Party, delivered the Sikh prayer on the national stage here in Punjabi and then translated it into English. Taking the stage minutes before Donald Trump was officially nominated as the party’s candidate for US president, Dhillon led the convention in the Sikh prayer on Tuesday. Dhillon hoped her reading the prayer would show that the Republican Party truly does have a big tent. After the pledge of allegiance and the national anthem, Dhillon took the stage and explained that it was Sikh custom to wear a headscarf for the traditional prayer.

Source: Hindustan Times July 21, 2016 08:37 UTC